1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an apparatus, a method, and a system for weighing and managing baled material. More specifically, the present invention is directed at weighing baled material, tracking the weight of baled material, and scheduling the removal of baled material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current balers allow materials to be compacted and bound, allowing a greater volume of material to be transported in a limited amount of space. Furthermore, by allowing for the banding of the material, balers help keep the material together, making it less likely to shift in transport.
Balers come in many configurations, but perform the same function. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 28,748, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,942. Balers allow for material to be placed into a chamber. The user of the baler can activate a compression mechanism to compact the material in the chamber. This compression may be preformed horizontally or vertically. The compressed material forms a bale. The baler may allow for manual or automatic tying of wire, twine, or another material around the bale. Finally, the baler allows for automatic or manual ejecting of the bale from the baler.
While baled material may just be refuse, often the baled material is valuable. Such valuable materials may include paper products (e.g., cardboard boxes), scrap metal (e.g., aluminum cans), and tobacco. Therefore, it would be valuable for the owner of the material to determine the weight of the baled material, to insure that they are adequately compensated for the material.
Furthermore, some businesses are required to recycle some percentage of their trash, so they need a method for tracking the amount of material they recycle.